Fall-board means



Oct. 22, 1940. w Y

FALL-BOARD MEANS Filed Nov. 15, 1939 INVENTUR WILB$M.DAY

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FALL-BOARD MEANS Application November 15, 1939, Serial No. 304,588

Claims.

My development relates to a fall-board means for keyboard musical instrument, particularly adaptable to the small upright pianos known as flat-tops, now in vogue. One object of the development is to provide a fall-board arrangement in which the fall-board, when in covering position, may form with the instrument back top a complete closure of unified appearance for the upper parts of the instrument, and wherein the operation of the fall-board member from the one to the other of its terminal positions is confined to a single path of movement of simple smooth character in which the parts of the member may remain fixed with respect to each other.

With this is an object to provide a fall-board arrangement in which the fall-board, when in exposing position, is pleasing in appearance and may form the cove or closure board behind the manual portion of the keyboard.

General objects of the development are to provide a fall-board means which is not expensive to construct, of easy and fool-proof operation, easy to install and remove, and durable.

The manner in which the above objects are attained will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing wherein like parts are indicated by like indicia and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the left or bass side of a musical instrument exemplarily shown as a small upright piano incorporating the present fall-board means, the fall-board being shown in the forward position and various parts being shown broken away to expose part of the mechanism;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the cutting plane 2-2 of Figure 1, the piano action being removed and parts of the keys and the left keyblock being broken away, for clarity; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2, but showing the fall-board in the rear or exposing position.

In an exemplary practice I incorporate my development in a small upright piano such as that shown in the drawing. This instrument has a usual upright back I supporting a string plate 3and strings 4, and secured to the back at each end is an arm 5. These arms extend forwardly to the front of the piano and secured to their under the upper side of the bed Ii are the keyslip I ex-- tending along the front of the piano and the keyboard 8 of playing keys having front manual portions 9 immediately behind the member 1. As indicated the elements I and 8 extend between the arms 5. A piano action operated from the keyboard 8, but omitted from the drawing for 5 clarity, is disposed in the instrument in the space indicated generally at In. Front legs for the piano are illustrated partially at I I.

The fall-board and its attendant mechanism of the development operate between the arms 5. 1 As illustrated the fall-board proper consists of a member of L-shaped cross-section comprising a horizontal panel I2 and a vertical panel I3 rigidly secured thereto. Included in the piano is a horizontal back top I4 secured to the upper edges of the arms 5 to extend therebetween over the back I and action I0; and when the fall-board is in the forward or covering position its horizontal panel I2 is disposed immediately in front of this member I4 50 as to extend forwardly therefrom to overlie the keyboard 8 and to form with the member I4 a top closure for the instrument, while the vertical panel I3 depends fromadjacent the front edge of the panel I2 to form a front closure for the upper part of the piano and to rest on the keyslip I (on rubber buttons thereof as shown) which thus defines the forward position of the fall-board,

As the result of attendant mechanism to be described, the fall-board may be easily moved from 80 its forward position to a position behind the front playable portion of the keyboard so as to expose the keys for playing. This complete change of position is confined to a single swinging movement in which the initial part is upward and rearward, as indicated by the arcuate direction arrows of Figure 2, then directly rearward, and finally rearward and downward. Throughout the motion the angularity of the fall-board surfaces with respect to the fixed parts of the piano remain constant, that is to say, the members I2 and I3 remain horizontal and vertical respectively at all times during the operation; and, as shown in Figure 3, at its rearward completion the fall-board is at a somewhat higher elevation than in the forward position, with the panel I2 disposed horizontally immediately above the back top I4, while the panel I3 becomes the vertical cove or closure board behind the manual portion 9 of the keys. The abutting of felt-covered rear vertical surfaces of blocks 28 carried by the fall-board, one near each end, against the front edge of the back top I4 defines the rear position.

In a similar manner of opposite direction the fall-board may be easily moved from its rear exposing to its forward covering position, handles 3| being attached to the front surface of the panel it to facilitate the operations.

To effect the kind of fall-board motion outlined I provide a system of swingable guide arms comprising a pair of such arms located at each end of the fall-board immediately within the cas ing arms 5' and disposed between the horizontal panel i2 and keybed 6. As shown, these guide arms extend, when the fall-board is in the forward position, downwardly and rearwardly from respective pivots carried by the fall-board, to respective stationary pivots. As also shown, one guide arm l5 of each pair is located forward of the other arm 16 and their four pivots are arranged in a parallelogram, the two parallelogramsbeing similar and similarly disposed with their upper and lower sides horizontal.

It will be apparent that the guiding mechanism described and illustrated, confines the fall-board member to the swinging movement desired. To provide clearance for the motion the fronts of the keyblocks $2 at each side of the keyboard are rounded and the panel I3 is beveled, adjacent its lower rear edge, and the rear parts of the keyblocks adjacent the casing arms 5 are recessed to accommodate operation of the guide arms. Also for the purpose, the rear edge of the panel 12 is beveled to incline downwardly and forwardly. Disposed in and conforming to the opening of angular cross-section thus provided between the front edge of the back top I4 and the rear edge of the panel [2 when the fall-board is in the covering position, are the upward felt-covered pro- J'ections of two blocks 35, one attached to each casing arm 5 of the instrument. These blocks assist in establishing a coplanar relationship between the back top M and the panel 12 when the fall-board is in the covering position, and furnish guides for the rear part of panel I2 during the initial part of the rearward movement of the fall-board to effect a smooth initiation of this motion.

The lower pivots l8 and I9 of each pair of guide arms are secured to a plate i1 secured to a casing arm 5 of the piano. As shown the plates II are recessed in the sides of the arms 5 and the pivots of a plate are in the nature of stationary shafts on which the guide members !5 and I6 swing. The shafts after passing loosely through corresponding holes in the lower ends of l5 and it are enlarged at their ends bydeformation and washers, and a fiber washer 3b is interposed on each shaft between theplate H and a member E5 or IE.

As indicated the stationary pivots IBand l9 are located somewhat below the level of the keyboard 8 and behind its manual portion 9 while the movable pivots 2!] and Z! for each pair of guide arms are confined to arcuate motion entirely above keyboard level. These latter pivots comprise clips of ashape shown, clips such as 2!] being secured to blocks 26 and a spacer bar 21 and clips such as 2! being attached to blocks 28, the elements 26, 2'! and 28 being carried by the fall-board; and to warrant that .both ends of the fall-board move equally and simultaneously upon operation, corresponding ones of the two pairs of guide arms are joined at their upper ends by cross-bars 22 and 23 to form a pair of equalizer rods for the purpose. The members 22 and 23 are of round cross-section to rotate respectively within the clips 29 and 2 l, to form the upper pivots; and for fastening a cross-bar to a guide arm I flatten a part of the bar adjacent its end, thereby forming a shoulder, inserting this reduced part of the bar into a corresponding elongated hole in the arm so that the arm abuts against the shoulder and a tip of the bar protrudes, and then enlarging the protruding tip by deformation. While my development will operate with only two corresponding guide arms at opposite ends of the fall-board joined to form a single equalizer rod, the remaining two arms then not being connected, I prefer in the interest of uniformity to provide double equalizers. Collars 24 fastened on one of the cross-bars such as 23 and abutting against the blocks 28 inhibit sideplay in the arrangement. The guide arms are illustrated as bent to an angular outline; fouling of the vertical panel l3 of the fall-board by the front guide arms l5 when the members are in the rear position, is thereby prevented, and the rear guide arms [6 are made to correspond to the front arms as a matter of uniformity in manufacture.

The music desk arrangement in the piano comprises the music rest 33 and a music desk mounted on the keystrip 34, but not shown. The members 33 and 34 are supported on the keyblocks 32 to extend therebetween behind the front portions 9 of the keys, the rear corners of the rest 33 being recessed to accommodate the extreme forward position of the guide arms l5, while the keystrip 34 extends to the recess edges of the blocks 32. The music desk preferably is of the collapsible type and may consist of a number of cross strips pivoted on each other so as to fold parallel to the front of the piano and to be disposed when collapsed, entirely behind the music rest 33. i

To facilitate installation and removal of the fall-board and its mechanism I carry the fallboard proper (i. e., the panels i2 and L3 as combined) on a framework to which it is readily. secured or detached. framework comprises the aforementioned members 26, 21, and 28 to which the guide arms are pivoted as aforedescribed. The spacer bar 21 extends in the space between the casing arms 5, and secured to its ends are the rearwardly extending, vertically disposed blocks 23. Also secured to the bar 21, to the front edges thereof and adjacent its ends, are the vertically disposed blocks 26. These elements 25 are further secured to the blocks 28. Adjacent and conforming to the blocks 28 are blocks 25 attached to the rear side of the vertical panel 53, and the fall-board proper and its attendant mechanism are then held together by bolts 29 whose heads are recessed in the front sides of these blocks 25 and which extend rearwardly through the members 25 and loosely through the blocks 26, to have wing nuts 36 on their rear projections. By these means the fallboard and its mechanism are readily engaged or disengaged; to do this the back top I4 is removed, thus providing access to the wing nuts 30.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in my development without departing from its spirit, and thus being described, those features thereof considered to be patentable comprise:

I claim:

1. In akeyboard musical instrument, the combination of a fall-board overlying said keyboard,

and mechanism for guiding the motion of said fall-board, said mechanism comprising pivot means carried by said fall-board, stationary pivot means supported by said instrument below and behind said first mentioned means, further pivot means carried by said fall-board behind said first mentioned means, further stationary pivot means supported by said instrument and disposed with respect to said third mentioned means, similar to the downward and rearward disposition of said second with respect to said first mentioned means, and arms pivoted on said means and extending respectively from said second to said first mentioned means and from said fourth to said third mentioned means, whereby said fall-board in exposing said keyboard moves parallel to itself in an upward-rearward translatory movement.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein two arms extend from at least one of said stationary pivot means to the corresponding pivot means carried by said fall-board, said two arms being interspaced along said keyboard and rigidly joined, whereby both ends of said fall-board move simultaneously in equalized motion.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said instrument includes a back top disposed above and behind said keyboard, and said fall-board includes a first member adjacent said back top and extending forward therefrom over said keyboard to form with said back top a top closure for said instrument and a second member secured to said first member and dependent therefrom in front of said keyboard to form a front closure for the upper parts of said instrument, said mechanism being of such dimensions and so disposed that in exposing said keyboard said fall-board moves to a rear position wherein said first member overlies said back top and said second member is disposed behind the front manually operable portion of said keyboard.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said instrument includes a back top disposed above and behind said keyboard and casing arms extending forward at each side of said keyboard, wherein said fall-board includes a first member adjacent the top edges of said arms and the front edge of said back top and extending forward from said back top over said keyboard to form with saidback top a top closure for said instrument and a second member rigidly secured to said first member and dependent therefrom between said arms and in front of said keyboard to form, a front closure for the upper parts of said instrument, and wherein said pivot means carried by said fall-board are secured to a framework to which said fall-board is disengageably attached, whereby said fall-board and said mechanism can be readily disengaged While located in said instrument.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein a rear part of said fall-board includes a rearwardly facing edge inclined upwardlyrearwardly, and including guide means on which said edge slides at the initiation of movement of said fall-board in exposing said keyboard.

WILBUR M. DAY. 

